House passes legislation focused on education

AUSTIN – The Texas House passed legislation that supporters believe will change the face of education across the state of Texas.

Amongst them were essential issues to Gov. Greg Abbott, who not only campaigned on school choice for Texas families but also increased funding for education, including teacher pay. The state is moving closer to delivering these promises to the governor’s desk later this spring.

“For the first time in Texas history, our state has passed a universal school choice bill out of both chambers in the Texas Legislature,” Abbott said. “This is an extraordinary victory for the thousands of parents who have advocated for more choices when it comes to the education of their children.”

SB2 will set aside $1 billion and create Education Savings Accounts for qualifying families under a lottery system, allowing them to use the funding towards private school education and other expenses. There is also a smaller amount that would be available for homeschooled families.

Families of special needs students will be able to access as much as $30,000 a year in funding for education.

“I applaud the legislators who took a stand with the overwhelming majority of Texans who support school choice. When it reaches my desk, I will swiftly sign this bill into law, creating the largest day-one school choice program in the nation and putting Texas on a pathway to becoming the best state in America for educating our kids,” Abbott said.

Among the celebrants is House District 23 Rep. Terri Leo Wilson after the passage of Senate Bill 2 in the Texas House.

“SB2 strikes a responsible balance, establishing educational freedom for parents while protecting the integrity of public school funding,” Leo Wilson said. “It ensures priority access for families making the transition from public to private school, caps the ESA program to protect the overdrafting our state budget, and includes crucial protections for both public and private school students. Most importantly, it empowers parents without punishing traditional schools.”

The vote passed 85-63, with only two Republicans voting against the legislation, joining every Democrat in the House.

The house version shared some differences from the original bill District 4 Sen. Brandon Creighton drafted. The senator representing Chambers County is planning on urging his senate colleagues to sign off on the house version.

“Should the Texas Senate vote to concur, the bill will soon be on Governor Abbott’s desk. The Texas Education Freedom Act delivers the largest day-one launch of education freedom in American history. When the future of Texas is at stake, there’s nothing more important than doing what’s right for our kids,” Creighton said.

Legislators also passed HB2 last week, prioritizing $7.7 billion in funding for public schools, including $3 billion in teacher pay raises and $1.5 billion in additional funding for special education. Creating that first increase in funding since 2019.

“HB 2 provides the funding to improve outcomes for every Texas student, teacher and school, especially in underserved areas,” Leo Wilson said. “It puts real dollars into the classroom—raising the Basic Allotment, improving teacher pay, expanding early childhood education, and supporting students with disabilities. With automatic future increases tied to property value growth, we’re securing long-term funding that benefits teachers without raising taxes.”

Proponents also point to better funding for rural districts like those in areas like Chambers County.

HB 2 had overwhelming support across party lines and passed 144-4 as it moves onto the Senate.

Leo Wilson is also touting legislation she sponsored that is aimed at Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum standards.

“As a former public school educator and a proud Texan, I was honored to carry House Bill 100 to ensure our classrooms are equipped with the highest-quality instructional materials aligned 100% to our Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills,” Leo Wilson said.

According to Leo Wilson, the legislation prohibits the use of state or local funds for materials that have been rejected and are not in line with TEKS.

“This is about empowering educators and protecting academic integrity in every Texas classroom,” Leo Wilson said.